Block-signal system



F. GRNIG.

BLOCK SIGNAL SYSTEM.

v:mmc/mou man ma. s, 1921l 1,392,254.' PatentedSept. 27,1921."

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F. GRNIG.

BLOCK SIGNAL SYSTEM. APPLICATION HLEU rss. 3. 1921.

1,392,254. Y 'Pawntedept 27,1921;

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" ze f-j 1 A UNITED STATES] PATENT eFFlcf" YFRITZ Gaume, on THUN, swITzERLAND.l

i T'. all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, FRITZ GRNVIG, a citizen of Switzerland,`v and Vresiding at Thun,- :Canton of Berne, .have invented oertain new and useful Improvements in Block- SignalSystems, of which the following is a specification. l

The present inventionrelates to a block signal system for preventing Vaccidentson electrically worked` rail roads where Y the electriclocomotive is attended by a single man. Y

This'signal system comprises'two circuit breakers of the line,.the one connected with the distant or advance signal and the other connected with the home or main signal andV both worked` simultaneously with the signals by means of an interlockingiframe worked from the depot.- Said circuit breakers V'when operated Awill 'interrupt the circuit ofthe line between theL two signals.` lThe are rangement comprises also atleast oneJ dan# ger signal on the locomotive, thecircuit of -said signal being closed lwhen the locosiren.

motive is running past the'sto'p signal,` thus warning the engineer and causing him to operate the breakers. The arrangement further comprises a controlling clock work operating the hand of va dial whereof acertain sector is provided with a contact sector-with which the hand, acting kas a contactlever, will make contactysay vevery minute and close the circuitl of a siren sofas to alarm the train stafl` Vin `caseithe engineer be not vigilant enough to operatea circuit breaker in order to lprevent theplsounding of. the

The system comprises'also otherauxiliary contrivances ywhich will be set forth hereinafter.` y i A The annexed drawingr represents one working examplelof the invention adapted to a l.Swiss railroad.

Figure 1 isi alongitudinal side eleva.T tion of a section of aline fitted upwith the new signaling devices;

F1g..2`s an elevation across the line. j Fig. 3 a diagrammatical view of the rigsignals and @ging vworking the cirouitbreakers ,and the Fig. 4 a diagramiofthe electrical connec- Ationsof the locomotive. 5

According to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 ,the overhead line outsideof thesignalsection o fajsta- .tion vcomprises Ia contact; wire and*v a .acarrying wire 2 and vendsat the cross beam 3 Specification of Letters Patent.A Patented Sept. 2 7, 1921-.4 v. Application led'Feb'ruary 3, 1921. 'Serial No. 442,290. i i t 'near'. to va semaphore signal 5used as home signal and the vcross beam 4 near to a Vdisk signal 6 used as distant'signal. The contact wire 1 of the lines'outside ofthe two signals is attached to insulators 7 and is separated from the line 9 between the two signals which is attachedlto insulators'S. Likewise the carrying wire 51 between the two signals is n separated from.' the wire 2 outside of the signals and islatt'ached to the insulators 50 while the'outside wire is suspended to insulators 49. Guide rails 10 are fixed to the '3, 4 carried by supports 11v and-12 a'ndcon-y neoted in suchla' Way ,with the ends of the contact wiresl and 9 that wire 1 is attached toninsulated contact pieces 13 and wireV 9 `toinsulated contact levers 14, connecting rods 15 attaching Vsaid levers tofbell'crank levers 16 mounted at the top' of the supcrank 'levers to the middlejarms lof T-shaped levers 18 mounted at the bottom part of :said supportsrall in such av way that a" simi- Aports 12- and yrods 17 connecting said bell i lar .Position of the T`,levers18 will answer *torv a corresponding similar `position of kthe contact levers 14, such as shownv in Fig. y1.

The corresponding arms of the T levers 18 are connected bywire ropes 19. The lower arm of the T lever 18 of they distant'signal 6 is attached by aconnecting rod 20 to Ione arm of a bell crank lever 21 mounted on the.L supporting mastof the signal, the other i -armk of whichlever 21 being attached bya hinged rod 22 to an arm 23 on the backside of the signal disk so asto keep this'disk "i 'in its normal position of stop The lowerv arm of the T lever 18 of thehome signal 5` is yhinged .bymeans of a connecting rody 24 Vto one ofl the-,cross arms of a T lever a 25 mounted onvthe supporting mast45 of i the home2-signal y5, fthe other vcross arm .of said lever being attached to one end of a wire rope 28 running overthe hand wheel 26 of a locking frame 27 worked from the,

depot or station Aand the middle arm of said T lever beingattachedl tok the other end of saidk rope.l `A connecting lrod 29 hinged `to theshorter` arm yof the home signal 5 is connected toa point between the .I end of the middle arm of the T lever 25H,

,and the pivot or such lever. The position as shown in Fig. l with cut-out contact levers and therefore with interrupted electrical connections on the line between the two signals is the stop positionand a turn of 90 given tohand wheel 26 will establish the position of line clear of .the two signals. ln this positionl Contact levers 14 are making contact','the electrical connections or the overhead line are therefore continuous, the disk of thefdistait signal will be in a horizontal position and the arm of the'home signal in a vertical position.V

Thev arrangement described above relates to the provisions made on the line, Fig. 4 gives those made on the locomotive, only the necessary parts connected with the new arrangement being shown. y An optical signal comprising three red lamps 30 connected in seriesisfprovided lin the drivers cab.` l i l These lamps are connected by'a conductor 36 to the circuit of the electrical lighting system oi the locomotive, -as shown to the junction box 31, and to a contact piece 33 iixed at the zero point of the voltmeter 32 for high tension, which will make contact with the hand 34 whenever the -voltage sinks under'l0,000 volts and when the hand is falling back to Zero. The hand of this voltmeteris. connected to the circuit of the electric @light at the junction box 31 by a. conductor 35 provided with a-circuit breaker 38 which willblock up the pneumrticmain switch, not shown, in a manner, `not shown, whenever the bow collector is inthe pulled down position. 4 y v Besides this optical signaly there is also an acoustic signal comprising an electric bell -39. shunted onthe' conductor 36 between the junction box 3 1 andthe lamps and a hand worked switch 37 is'provided in this shunt circuit. f l

A Jfurther signaling device at the drivers cab comprises 4a controlling clock work 40 with a dial and a hand 4l making one cornplete turn every minute and acting as a contact lever which will make contact at every turn with an insulated contact strip A42 which is covering a sector of thefdial, sector of a determined lengthv say 2O seconds. This strip 42 is electrically connected to the junction box 31 and the hand 41 to an 'electrically worked siren 43, which is also connected to the contact piece 44 of a press switch, the press lever 45 of which is provided with a knob 48 and connected to the f .junction box 31.V Lever 45 is kept inthe cut out position by a spring 46while a stop pin `47 lof the lever 45 prevents any excessive compression of the spring'46.

A' handv worked switch 53 is provided within the circuit between the junction box 31 and the contacts 44,' 45 and has for its 'fbject to leek an annular disk or limb57 of the controller of the locomotive in its A position or in its positionor fline clear, as soon as. the 'switch is in its cut out position, which position must be established when the locomotive is stopping. l

Theworking example as shown in Fig. 4 comprises a tooth segment 55 iixedito the ljever of switch 53 and engaged with a bolt provided with a vra'clr`56. Limb 57 adapted to turn on a disk 59 having a pointer-158m fitted with a 'controlling handle 54 and with a notch linto whichthe rack bolt 56 can be 'engaged whenthel A of the division on limb 57 vagrees with the mark l58. Bythis arrangement the limb can be lockedA in the position of A that 'is' in theposition'of cutout,7 of the switchrrwhere4 also the, cirnected tothe junction box and4 will furnish the current andthe'current for Voperating auxiliaryapparatus, whenever the line currentfis lacking. i But wheneverfthev line current is'v feeding kagain f the locomotive, .transformedjcurrent will be` ufnished for such service ,from the line current. 1 f" i The whole signal' arrangement is operated 'as follows: fj l During the journey lthe Vcontrollingclock lis switched on because the hand worked switch 53 is closed whereby limb '57 with handle 54 has Vbeennnboltedl Every' 40 seconds therefore contact would be, made on the contact strip '42 and the siren `43 would'fb'e worked, lwhich would alarrnthe trainA 4sta-ff for voperating the brakes, if the engineer Vwas not vigilant enough to depress knob 48 ofthe circuit breaker ofthe clockwork just before the hand 41 reached the contact strip. l ,A

In this way the engineer is forced to be con stantly vigilant, otherwise and in case of his incapacity, for service the' siren wouldjbe heard' and alarm the train staff. "l"

Supposing that at the depot thedistant signal 6 and the home signal v5 are S''ton stop and the intervalbetwe'en bothl is cut from the circuit because levers i4' Iare inl the cut out, position, then, if theflcomotive overruns the distant; vfsign'al' l set on lstop and travels on the cutout interval between i the signals, the high-tension "volt" meter Y32 will at once show" the zero." The circuit of the lamps 30; andfthefb'ell 39 will be closed and the lamps will be -lit up and the "belllbe rung, thus notifying the engineer thathe has overrun the" distant signal andadvising them worked at once, Y Ifthe locomotive4 comes toastop Vontlie him to workthe necessary brakes or tof have line Vbetween the two l'signals'it will notv le' vby'a dynamo driven by the wheels are con- "iso able to leave said section of the line again unless the signals have been opened again by the locking frames at the depot, that is, unless switch levers 14 have been closed and the interval between the signals been again switched into the circuit. rlDuring the stop the engineer may stop the bell, as well as interrupt the circuit of the clockwork; but the lamps will continue burning. If the lamps go out, it would indicate that the sig nals have now been put on line clear. If the engineer wants to start vthe locomotive again the switch 53 must be cut-in in order to unbolt again limb 57 and handle 54 and the circuit of the clockwork 40 will be closed again.

The clockwork may also be combined with a counter marking every complete revolution of the hand 41 on the dial but this only during the running of the locomotive.

What I claim is:

l. In a signaling arrangement for preventing accidents on electrically operated rail roads where the electric locomotive is attended by one man, and in combination, two circuit breakers 13, 14, the one connected with the usual distant or advance signal 6 and the other connected with the usual home or main signal 5, an interlocking plant adapted to transmit motion from the usual locking frame located at the station to the circuit breakers, so as to operate the latter simultaneously with the signals, at least one danger signal actuated by a storage battery and controlled by a circuit closer both situated upon the locomotive and adapted to Warn the engine driver and provided on the locomotive with means for closs ing its circuit in case the locomotive has overrun the stop signal, a danger signal upon the locomotive adapted to warn the train staff of the inattention of the en ine driver, a clockwork for operating the anger signal for the train staff' and a hand operated circuit breaker for controlling the operating of the last said signal substantially as shown and described and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a signaling arrangement according to claim 1 two danger signals adapted to warn the engineer, the one acoustic and comprising a clockwork and the other an optical and comprising three red electric lamps for the purpose set forth.

3. In a signaling arrangement according to claim 1 a danger signal adapted to warn the train stafl` comprising an electrical siren, a switch for controlling the current of said siren and comprising a dial 40, a contact sector 42 on said dial and a hand 41 worked by a clockwork, all substantially as shown and described and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a signaling arrangement according to claim 1, and in combination, a press switch, comprising a press lever 45., a spring 46 controlling the same, a contact piece 44, a press knob 48 and a stop pin 47 adapted to compel the engineer to be vigilant and to operate said switch every minute in order to prevent the sounding of the siren, all substantially as shown and described.

5. In a signaling arrangement according to claim 1 and in combination a high tension volt meter of the current of the electric traction comprising a graduation 32, a hand 34 constituting the movable contact of a Switch and a contact point 38 at the zero mark as a fixed contact of the switch for the purpose of closing the circuit when the high tension drops to zero all substantially as shown and described and for th-e purpose set forth.

6. In a signaling arrangement according to claim 1, and in combination with a notch provided on the limb 57 of the switch of the locomotive of a hand worked switch 53 comprising a tooth segment 55 and a rack bolt 56 meshed with said segment for the purpose, when in the cut out position of the switch, of cutting out the siren, and of locking the limb in its A position or the positionof line clear, the whole substantially as shown and described and to be operated when the locomotive is stopping.

In testimony whereof I hereby affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRITZ GRNIG.

Witnesses R. HEINGARTNER, J. ALTEMANN. 

